Trending

A Diminishing Lagtime

The modern age sports an amazing feature that used to be hard to detect, because so drawn out: a shorter-than-ever-before lag between the proposal of some popular inanity and its complete debunking.

It used to take seemingly forever for a bad idea to be shown up, either in argument or evidence. Now it can be a matter of days or even hours. Call it the Buncombe/Debunking Lagtime.

Take the Flint, Michigan, water fiasco.

When the story hit the news cycle, almost immediately the progressive meme machinery began cranking out slogans imposed upon visuals — jpegs and gifs — to the effect that the poisoned water was the result of Republican “austerity” or (even) “libertarian” policy.

Somehow a Democratic mayor was less to blame than a more distant Republican governor, but in the minds of knee-jerk partisans, common sense is not as important as an in-your-face accusation.

But now, days and scant weeks into the story, it turns out that the story behind the story is not merely wrong, but entirely, upside-down wrong. The Flint water fiasco was caused by a stimulus project, and the switch from bad to worse water sources was made to promote “jobs”!

In the words of Reason’s Shikha Dalmia, “the Flint water crisis is the result of a Keynesian stimulus project gone wrong.”

Yes, another failed Big Government policy — just like progressives are always pushing.

And it didn’t take years for the truth to seep out.

Hooray for today’s accelerated history! Now, if we could only decrease the lagtime between lesson given and lesson learned.

Now, if we could only decrease the lagtime between lesson given and lesson learned.

That is learned only by removal from office. How long before the next mayoral election in Flint, and will the voters decide to direct their anger at the proper parties? This lesson will never be learned as long as people rely on government (taxpayers!) for their support. Don’t hold your breath.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

seven × = 49

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

About

Read The White Rose Pamphlets

The White Rose was a close-knit group of friends in Munich, Germany, during the reign of the Nazi Third Reich. Anonymously, under the name “The White Rose,” they wrote and distributed a series of pamphlets throughout Germany...

Support This Site

Your gift to Citizens in Charge Foundation for Common Sense is fully tax-deductible and 100 percent will go to the support and expansion of this site. Be part of Team 1776 by making a contribution or a monthly pledge today.